Japan’s biggest department store and purveyors of fine kimono, Takashimaya was feeling an urgent need to breathe life back into the ancient culture of kimono. Younger generations know less and less about the traditional designs and motifs of this vastly rich heritage. Loaded with poetic meaning and distinctly beautiful patterns, we are entering an age where the kimono is seen less and less frequently.

Takashimaya wanted to modernize and update the image of the kimono to get younger generations interested.

The target was set at young men and women in Japan who sometimes wear the kimono, particularly for the many summer festivals to be found across Japan.

Also popular in summer is the firework. Fireworks remain a potent symbol of summer in Japan, and this timeless pastime is still very much practiced by many, young and old, across the country. So, our idea was to fuse this potent symbol of summer with the traditional kimono. We would create patterns and motifs that would appeal to the younger generations, and redefine traditional Japanese fashion.

Out of the myriad of fireworks available, we decided on the humble sparkler for its feeling of real familiarity and closeness. We learned that there are names attached to every stage of the flame, as the sparkler burns from tip to end. The names in this process allude to floral life, and is rich in metaphor. First, as the flame lights the sparkler, the little ball of heat is called a “bud”. As the sparkles begin to grow, this stage of the sparklers’ life is called “peony”. As the budding flames bloom into full growth, the flame is then referred to as “pine needles”.

As the flames begin to die down, it is known as “willow”, before ending as “falling chrysanthemum”. All of these stages were photographed more than 10,000 times, and the hyper-fine nuances of each type of flame was interpreted and condensed into three kimono pattern designs.

We brought two elements of traditional Japanese culture together to create something new and forward looking. “Patterns of fire” lined Takashimaya shelves across Japan, gaining much attention for this timeless brand.